1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bearing device, a method of manufacturing the bearing device, and an information recording/reproducing apparatus.
2. Background Art
In the related art, information recording/reproducing apparatuses, such as hard disks, which make various kinds of information recorded and reproduced with respect to disks (equivalent to a “magnetic recording medium” of the claims), have been known. Generally, information recording/reproducing apparatuses include a head gimbal assembly equipped with a slider that records and reproduces signals with respect to a disk, and an arm (equivalent to a “rotating member” of the claims) having the head gimbal assembly mounted on a tip side. The arm is made rotatable by a bearing device provided on a base end side. By rotating the arm, the slider can be moved to a predetermined position of a disk so as to perform recording and reproducing of signals.
Generally, bearing devices includes a shaft, and a pair of rolling bearings that are inserted into the shaft and are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the shaft. Additionally, the pair of rolling bearings each include an inner ring fixed to the shaft, an outer ring surrounding the inner ring, a reinforcing sleeve that covers the outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements that are arranged between the inner ring and the outer ring. The arm is externally fitted to the outer ring via the sleeve.
Incidentally, in a process of manufacturing a rolling bearing, an operation of equally arranging a plurality of rolling elements between an inner ring and an outer ring is performed (for example, refer to JP-A-2008-202606). Generally, in order to equally arrange the plurality of rolling elements between the inner ring and the outer ring, the plurality of rolling elements are individually inserted between the inner ring and the outer ring while relatively shifting the central axes of the inner ring and the outer ring in the radial direction and providing a larger gap than the external diameter of the rolling elements between the inner ring and the outer ring. Thereafter, a retainer capable of rollably retaining the rolling elements in an equally arranged state is mounted after the plurality of rolling elements are equally arranged in a circumferential direction.
However, in the process of manufacturing a rolling bearing in the related art, in order to insert the plurality of rolling elements between the inner ring and the outer ring while shifting the inner ring and the outer ring from each other, operation is complicated and a large number of operation steps are required. Additionally, in order to equally arrange the plurality of rolling elements, for example, exclusive manufacturing apparatuses, such as an air jetting apparatus described in the related art, are required, and great facility cost is required. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the manufacturing cost of the rolling bearing may become high.